EZ Print / Pre-Press Technical Specifications
Pre-press standards.
Flawless press results.
Technical guidelines for submitting press-ready files. Every piece of artwork is verified by pre-press specialists before plate imaging or digital press calibration.
Your Trusted Printing Partner · Trading since 2017 · Singapore 039190
Bleed Line, Trim Line & Safe Zone Explained
1. Bleed Line (+3 mm)
Artwork extension area. Background photos, colored boxes, and patterns must extend 3mm past the finished trim edge on all 4 sides. This ensures that when thousands of sheets are guillotined simultaneously, no white paper flashes appear on the edges.
2. Actual Print Area (Trim Line)
Guillotine cutting boundary. This is the exact finished physical size of your printed product. The heavy hydraulic cutter slices directly along this line. Never place critical typography or thin borders directly against this line.
3. Safe Zone (3–5 mm Margin)
Protected typography zone. Keep all essential content (names, phone numbers, email addresses, legal text, QR codes, and brand logos) at least 3mm (5mm for bound booklets) inside the cut line to ensure nothing is clipped.
The core pre-press checklist.
To prevent production delays, colour shifts, or trimming inconsistencies, configure your design files in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop using these verified print specifications:
1. 3mm Bleed on all edges
Extend all background colours, patterns, and full-bleed photographs 3mm past the finished trim line on all four sides. This ensures clean, edge-to-edge ink coverage without hairline paper flashes during industrial guillotining.
2. 3–5mm Safe inner margins
Position all essential typography, logos, icons, and legal disclaimers at least 3mm (or 5mm for booklets and multi-page documents) inward from the trim boundary. This protects content from mechanical trimming drift.
3. CMYK Colour conversion & 100K black
Convert all colour swatches and image assets from digital RGB to press CMYK (ISO Coated v2 or FOGRA39 profile recommended). Set small body text to 100% Key/Black (C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100) rather than 4-colour rich black to eliminate registration fringing.
4. 300 DPI Native resolution
Supply all continuous-tone raster graphics at 300 DPI at 100% final output size. Avoid interpolating or upscaling low-resolution web images (72–96 DPI), which results in pixelation and softness on press.
5. Vector typography & font outlining
Convert all fonts to vector outlines (curves) prior to PDF export, or verify that all font subsets are 100% embedded within your PDF file to avoid font substitution.
Finishing masks & PDF standards.
Bespoke finishing elements such as spot UV gloss, metallic hot foil stamping, embossing, and custom die-cuts require dedicated vector artwork separations:
Spot UV & Metallic Hot Stamping Masks
Supply finishing treatments as separate vector layers or separate PDF pages aligned perfectly 1:1 with your artwork. Use 100% solid Black (K:100%) to represent the treatment area. Do not use gradients, feathering, or half-tone screening.
Die-Cutting, Creasing & Perforation Lines
Set custom cutting lines on a dedicated vector layer using a designated Spot Colour (e.g. named "DieLine" or "Crease") with stroke set to "Overprint". Solid lines represent cuts; dashed lines represent fold creases.
Booklet Spine & Creep Calculations
For saddle-stitched or PUR perfect-bound books, spine width varies based on page count and paper stock caliper. Our pre-press desk calculates your exact spine caliper and inner gutter creep before file approval.
Accepted File Formats
Submit press-ready PDF files (PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 standard) with bleed boxes enabled and crop marks placed outside the bleed area. Native Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or InDesign packages with linked assets are also accepted.
Preflight inspection assurance.
Artwork is checked before production. Every file received is examined by experienced pre-press specialists for bleed compliance, colour calibration, vector integrity, and image sharpness.
If discrepancies are detected, we notify you with actionable guidance before plates or digital setups are prepared.
Turnaround times.
Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days. For urgent orders or express schedules, please check with EZ Print.
Same-day printing available. Subject to artwork, stock and production capacity confirmation. Timing is agreed for each job.
Pre-Press Desk: sales@ezprint.com.sg · WhatsApp: +65 8208 7778
Ready to verify your artwork?
Submit your design files along with your quantity and material requirements. Our pre-press desk will review your specifications and provide a written quotation.